How much money should I spend on my first DD?

$10

About 2/3 of how much you have saved, minimum $1500 (negotiated down from $2000+) unless you're getting some kind of special deal from a friend or relative.

If you want something truly reliable, double that unless you're getting a 90s Civic, Corolla, Accord or Camry.

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>>14211353
How's an 03 Lancer in excellent condition, clean title, 2 owners, 99k Miles on it, beautiful interior, no rust on the bottom, no leaks, passed computer testing, and negotiated down to $1600 from $2300 sound? (We negotiated well because my friend's a dealer and the dude selling it bough the car from auction, so we know exactly how much he bought it for, kek)

>>14211407
Sounds pretty good assuming nothing's wrong with it. Too bad it's not an EVO.

I've never owned a 3-diamond but IIRC they have their specific gremlins that start popping up around that point so do your homework probably start a Lancer thread and get /o/'s "expertise" on them specifically.

>>14210447
What is your budget?
Not knowing your budget, I would say no more than 8k.
8k would get you a good 2007 Accord. Most reliable car imo. Good on gas, lots of space for a sedan, easy to work on, and doesnt look terribly old. If you want something a bit more fun try a WRX.
If you need a ton of space, Subaru Outback. If you want something just cheap as shit to run and maintain, get a Civic. Hondas are more fun daily drivers imo, toyotas feel kinda soft.

>>14211474
Already made a Lancer thread. Got just 1 post saying "it's shit".

>>14211562
4k. I hear so much about Accords, but I'd also like a car that's unique. One that everyone doesn't own. One that has a nice interior, one that's reliable as a DD, and one that looks nice. My uncle keeps mentioning Corollas, but here, everyone and their mother owns one, be it an old shitbox or a new Corolla. Yes, I went thru the sticky.

>>14211650
>I'd also like a car that's unique
>that's reliable as a DD
lol

>>14211782
>>14211782
what are you laughing at huh kid

>>14211849
You have special snowflake syndrome which is a serious problem for first time car buyers.

You want something unique so you want to buy something that's obscure then you'll find out how expensive it is to repair when something goes wrong because the parts are also rare and it may well need a specialist mechanic. It's also more likely it will come with a problem like that already that some other fool was trying to get out from under.

The smart way to have something unique is to buy something common, with inexpensive a
vailable parts and simple repair procedures then spend the money you're saving on customizing it to suit your style/taste/image/whatever.

Trust us. We know from experience.

>>14211849
1. Unpopular cars are unpopular for a reason.
2. Advice on maintenance and typical repairs for popular cars can be found on Google easily. "Unique" cars not so much.

Now I don't know anything about the Lancer, but I am pretty sure when sometjing breaks (and it will, we are talking about 10+ year old cars here) your life would be that tiny bit easier if you had a Focus.
That doesn't automatically mean a Lancer is a terrible idea, but a more popular cars is almost always the easier route.

TL;DR A car being "unique" is not an advantage for a first daily driver.

>>14211650

if you want something nobody else has as a dd, get a manual. if you're buying a used honda you might as well be setting your cash on fire if you're buying an automatic anyways. >>14211993 is correct. learn your shit and prove you can take care of a boring, common car before you buy something Unique and Different and Special that spends more time sitting in your garage missing parts than on the road

OP should buy a Taurus SHO

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>>14211993
>>14212010
Thanks for your well written replies. OP here. By the way, I wasn't this post. >>14211849

I guess by... "unique", I didn't mean a "rare" car or anything like that, you know? Not a Ferrari, or Porsche, or something. It's just that in my area, I really don't see many Lancers, or heck, even Mitsubishi's at all. I know Lancers were popular cars back in the day...

I see Focuses all the time, but I don't like them. I see Corollas a ton too, they all look the same to me.

Man. There are just a ton of factors that go into buying a car that I sometimes overwhelm myself. I like this Lancer, but I don't want to buy a car and then spend what I did for the car itself on repairs, ya know?

Back to Craigslist I go. I went through every car in my area listed between $1000 - $2500, and all of them have 130k Miles + on them. I'll do a search for Corollas and cars between $2500 - 4k. Thanks for your replies

>>14212068
Do some reserach on whatever model you want to buy.

How expensive are standard parts? How easy is it to find a mechanic who knows his way around one? Are repair manuals available? Can you find repair and maintenance info on google? Are there known issues? etc.

Tbh the deal on the Lancer doesn't sound bad, but you have to do the research on the model before you can decide whether you want it.

Also the condition of the car plays a big role in whether or not it's gonna be a PITA to keep on the road. So if it's in good condition, that's worth a lot.

>>14212108
Thanks anon. Yeah the car's in grand condition. I just... WORRY, ya know?
I'll do my research.

1k Corolla

>>14212117
Basically you need to ask yourself whether you'll worry more about a somewhat likely $500 repair or a somewhat unlikely $3000 repair

Whatever you do don't get a Honda. Not because of the car itself, because of the culture that's attached to it. You don't want to be sucked into that community.

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>>14211650
>wants cheap reliable car that looks nice and is less common
Here you go.

>>14212605
>celica

I see plenty of those around here unfortunately. And they're riced out like crazy, too. Mostly the hispanics drive them.